Hemet Robbery Leads to Vehicle Pursuit

On Saturday, June 25th, at about 3:20 AM, Hemet Police Officers responded to the Depot Deli – 200 W Florida Ave regarding a robbery that just occurred. The victim employee provided a description of the suspects and suspect vehicle.

As officers responded, the suspect vehicle was located and an enforcement stop was initiated. The suspect driver failed to yield and a vehicle pursuit was initiated. The pursuit traveled north out of the city of Hemet and into San Jacinto. The suspect vehicle continued into the mobile home park at 351 E 7th St, San Jacinto, where the suspect vehicle collided into a tree. Two of the three vehicle occupants remained in the vehicle and were detained without incident. The driver fled on foot and was located attempting to hide in a shed. The suspect driver, Jose Figueroa, was arrested without incident.

The investigation revealed two of the three suspects entered Depot Deli, assaulted the victim employee for the purposes of stealing beer then fled with the beer in the suspect vehicle.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department – San Jacinto Station responded and investigated the traffic collision involving the suspect vehicle.

The suspect driver, 21-year old Jose Figueroa, is a San Jacinto resident. Figueroa is on probation for felony evading officers and had an active warrant for felony evasion. Figueroa was arrested for robbery, felony evasion, and conspiracy as a result of the incident that occurred at Depot Deli. Figueroa was transported to Riverside County Jail and held on $100,000 bail.

Passenger, 21-year old Reno Ortiz, is a Hemet resident. Ortiz was arrested for robbery and conspiracy. Ortiz was transported to Riverside County Jail and held on $30,000 bail. The third passenger was determined not to be involved in the robbery, but was heavily intoxicated. He was arrested for public intoxication and, later, released from the Hemet Police Jail.